If you’re skiing over the Christmas break, watch out for the car hire excess insurance scam. This is when car rental companies charge you hundreds of pounds to cover the excess – the amount of any claim you agree to cover.

With excess sums set as high as £2,000, it can be tempting to simply pay £100 to £200 at the car-hire counter for a policy that covers this cost. But if you plan ahead you can get a policy for a tenth of the price.

At www.icarhireinsurance.com, for instance, you can get excess cover for £21 for the week, or £3 a day. Other extras to be wary of include a charge to hire a sat nav, which could be £100, or a child’s seat at £50.